This invention relates generally to a wire drawing machine adapted to draw unfinished wire to a finished size and to supply the finished wire to a using station such as a cold header located downstream of the machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a wire drawing machine with an integral coil-supporting table adapted to carry a coil of unfinished wire for supplying wire to the finishing operation of the machine.
In conventional wire drawing machines, the wire is initially threaded through a drawing die, wrapped several times around a drum or capstan located downstream of the die, and then fed into the using station. The drawing die is set to finish the wire to a predetermined size. The capstan is adapted to be rotated by a variable speed drive mechanism including, for example, an electric motor and gear reducer. During normal operation of the machine, the rotating capstan pulls the unfinished wire through the die to reduce the diameter of the wire, whereupon the finished wire winds around and then off of the capstan and is made available to the using station. A wire drawing machine of this general type is disclosed in Alcock et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,403.
In a wire drawing operation of this type, the coil of unfinished wire typically rests on a turntable which is adapted for relatively free rotation about a vertical axis. The turntable typically includes a generally horizontal platform for supporting the coil of wire and centrally located guides which project upwardly from the platform through the center of the coil. The coil of unfinished wire is supplied resting on a base plate and wrapped around a center core section which is connected to and extends upwardly from the base plate. The coil is positioned onto the turntable by grabbing the top of the core section, lifting the coil above the turntable guides, aligning the center of the coil with the guides, and lowering the coil of wire onto the turntable. As the coil is lowered, the guides are received into the core section to center the coil on the turntable. With this arrangement, the turntable rotates and unfinished wire unwinds from the coil as the capstan draws the wire through the die.
In a conventional prior wire finishing operation, the turntable is floor-mounted which enables the coil of wire to be easily loaded onto the turntable. The turntable of such prior operations is also located a substantial distance behind the wire drawing machine to provide for a relatively straight length of wire feeding into the die. However, such an arrangement requires substantial floor space which could be utilized for other manufacturing purposes, and is thus an economic detriment to efficient use of available facilities.
Taylor et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,688 discloses a wire drawing machine with an overhead turntable to reduce the floor space necessary for the entire wire drawing operation. In the Taylor arrangement, the capstan and die are connected to the side of a generally cubic frame and the turntable is mounted to the upper surface or shelf of the frame above the capstan. Thus, the top of the guides of the Taylor arrangement are relatively high above the ground. As a result, either a special fork lift or an overhead crane is typically necessary to raise the coil of wire above the turntable guides for loading onto the turntable. This results in a substantial additional expense where such handling equipment is not already in place, and is not feasible in some existing facilities with limited ceiling heights.